re-using paragraphs in Unstructured FrameMaker

[Combs, Richard]

ray.lloyd at agfa.com wrote:
 
> Are there any tricks to pull in a paragraph (e.g. a note) into several
> documents for re-use beside using Text Insets? I'd like to put all
> these re-usable paragraphs in one document and then pull specific
> paragraphs into other documents -- similar to what you can do with the
> conref mechanism in DITA XML.
> Any ideas welcome.
> Ray

Text insets are the way to go. What may not be obvious is that you can put all the text insets into the same document. A text inset is a complete flow. But a single FM file can contain any number of flows, each with its own name. When you use File > Import > File to import (by reference), you specify the file from which to import, and if it contains multiple flows, you're prompted to choose the flow you want. 

Create a new doc to serve as the container for your text inset flows. To create new flows, add disconnected pages (Special > Add Disconnected Pages) -- as many as you want at a time. 

Because it's disconnected, each new page is a new flow (notice the end-of-flow symbol on each page). But they all have the default flow tag, "A." You have to give each a unique and meaningful Flow Tag name so you'll know which flow to pick when importing to your destination doc(s). To do this, select a text frame, right-click, and select Object Properties. In the Customize Text Frame dialog, set Flow Tag to the name you want. 

Put each paragraph (or set of paragraphs, or table, ...) that you want to re-use into its own flow / text frame and you're ready go. 

HTH!

Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
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rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-903-6372
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